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Son Heung Min left empty-handed after Uefa run out of Europa League medals for Tottenham

The Spurs captain, alongside teamates Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur, was left without a medal initially after Uefa ran out before the Europa League trophy lift at the San Mames

Jack Rathborn
Thursday 22 May 2025 09:00 BST
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Spurs fans invade the pitch after historic Europa League triumph

Son Heung Min was left empty-handed moments before the Tottenham Hotspur captain got his hands on the Europa League trophy when Uefa ran out of medals.

The Spurs captain was last among teammates walking up to the stage to celebrate after their 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.

But as Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin continued to hand out trophies, he could be seen discussing with colleagues the eventual issue.

Eventually Ceferin handed over the last remaining medal to Yves Bissouma, before Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero followed.

The South Americans also missed out initially, with Son the final player to greet the Uefa president and sharing a brief chat and embrace before making his way to the stage without a medal.

Postecoglou declared himself as “a winner” after guiding Spurs past United, correcting chairman Daniel Levy’s initial declaration that the club was going away from “winners” in their style of manager.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung Min receives the Europa League trophy from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung Min receives the Europa League trophy from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin (Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung Min celebrates at the San Mames
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung Min celebrates at the San Mames (Nick Potts/PA Wire)

"I'm a winner. Win is what I do the most," said Postecoglou. "Even when I signed, Daniel said 'we've gone after winners and it didn't work, now we've got Ange'. Mate, I'm a winner."

Tottenham will prepare for a parade in north London on Friday before finishing off what has been a testing Premier League campaign.

After losing 20 times in the league, Spurs will conclude their season on Sunday against Brighton, with the Seagulls still pushing for the points and a shot at European football.

Aleksander Ceferin handed out medals to Tottenham players before the trophy lift
Aleksander Ceferin handed out medals to Tottenham players before the trophy lift (AFP via Getty Images)

But despite Spurs sitting in 17th and unable to finish higher than 14th, Ange Postecoglou’s side can look forward to Champions League football next season.

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